Introduction to The Crucible

Puritan Separatists and the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony The Massachusetts Bay Colony was a British settlement founded in the 17th century by the Massachusetts Bay Company during the Puritan Migration. The migration of the Puritans was due primarily to religious persecution (see James the 1st of England) and the search for economic improvement. The Puritans were seen as religious non-conformists in England. Puritans believed the Church of England, headed by King James I, was too similar to the Catholic church. In 1626, a group of Puritans settled in what became Salem, MA.

Salem and the witch trials The trials began in January 1692. Historians believe mob mentality and hysteria largely contributed to the accusations and ultimate trials. The accusations began when a group of Salem girls began acting strangely and a local doctor, not finding any plausible physical cause, ruled that it was witchcraft. While this seems strange now, we have to remember that Puritans believed in witches as agents who led Christians away from God. After the “diagnosis,” some of the girls accused Tituba, a slave, and two other women of bewitching them.

The usual suspects Many Puritans were suspicious of those who did not align themselves with strict Puritan values and beliefs. Many of those accused were Quakers, slaves, outspoken women, colonists with criminal backgrounds, and people who criticized the witch trials. Historians believe that some, like the Putnam family, took advantage of the hysteria around the trials for monetary gain or for revenge for disputes. According to different sources, between 150 and 200 hundred people were accused and arrested. 20 were executed. For a full list of names see: https://historyofmassachusetts.org/salem-witch-trials- victims/

Bridget Bishop: Found guilty and executed. Bridget Bishop, age 50, had experienced several previous run- ins with the law. She was a widow. She had previously been accused of witchcraft.

Arthur Miller based characters in the play on actual victims. Sarah Good (39): Executed Rebecca Nurse (71): Executed Rebecca Nurse was an elderly and pious woman who was very popular in Salem. She and her husband, Francis, maintained a long-standing feud with the Putnam family. She was originally found not guilty, but when the verdict was announced, an outcry from the girls ended in the jury reconsidering and finding her guilty. She was executed on July 19, 1692. Sarah was one of the first to be accused, along with Tituba. At the time of her arrest, she was married, poor, and pregnant. She frequently went door to door begging for handouts. She was executed July 19, 1692.

Arthur Miller based characters in the play on actual victims. John Proctor (61) Giles Corey (71) Proctor was a wealthy farmer who lived on the outskirts of Salem. He was an outspoken critic of the witch trials and threatened to beat the girls who accused others. His entire family was accused, including his wife, Elizabeth. Proctor recognized that the village was caught up in hysteria and wrote to the Boston clergy for intervention. The clergy responded but it was too late for Proctor who was executed August 19, 1692 Another wealthy farmer who lived on the outskirts of the village. Known for having a violent temper, he was once accused of killing his farmhand. Though he was found guilty, he got off with a fine. Thomas Putnam accused him of paying a bribe to avoid execution. Corey was accused of witchcraft after his wife, Martha, was. Corey refused to plead guilty and was tortured to death. He died on the third day of his torture, September 10, 1692.

Primary sources on the trials Primary sources on the trials include court records as well as diaries and journals. Governor Phips, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692, banned further publications about the trials. Many historians point to this ban as the first government cover-up. In order to defend this ban, Phips asked his friend and well-respected writer and minister, Cotton Mather, to write a book about the trials in their defense. Mather’s book, Wonders of the Invisible World, was published in October 1692, but with a disclaimer noting that the book had been written by request of the government.

Important distinctions between Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, and the witch trials of 1692. At the time of the actual trials, Abigail Williams was 11. In Miller’s play, she is 17. At the time of the actual trials, John and Elizabeth Proctor were in their 60’s. In the play they are much younger. There was never a romantic relationship between Abigail Williams and John Proctor. She was 11 and he was 61. Miller invented the relationship for dramatic purposes. Miller reduced the number of the girls who made accusations. There were several judges, but Miller symbolizes all of them in Danforth and Hathorne. Miller possessed only as much information as court documents, letters, journals, and diaries offer, therefore, much of the characterization is derived from his imagination.

Resources History of Massachusetts.org. History of Massachusetts Blog. (2019). WordPress. Penguin Classics. The Crucible: Introduction. Ed. Christopher Bigsby. (1995).